Morena Baccarin as Inara on Firefly

By Rob. Walton

WHO IS SHE?:

Brazilian-Italian beauty Morena Baccarin, the 23-year-old New Yorker (by way of Rio de Janeiro), catches eyes as Inara, a revered sex worker on Fox TVís acclaimed new "space Western" Firefly, set 800 years in the future. The daughter of a South American stage and TV actress, Morena moved with her family to Greenwich Village when she was 10 and later attended LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts (the Fame high school), before she entered the theater program at Juilliard, where Wes Bentley was a classmate.

WHAT HAS SHE DONE?:

Fresh out of college, Morena landed her first movie role in the improvised fashion world comedy Perfume with Rita Wilson, Carmen Electra, Kylie Bax and Mariel Hemingway. That was followed by a lead role in the film festival hit Way Off Broadway. Shortly before heading to Los Angeles, Morena appeared in the acclaimed Central Park production of The Seagull with Natalie Portman. Firefly is her first television show.

WHY DO WE CARE?:

This dark and beautiful actress stirs the imagination as a royal courtesan on television. Sheís got the looks and the talent to make it on the stage and the screen, and sheís got brains to boot.

Playboy.com: You acted with Natalie Portman and understudied for her role in last year's Central Park production of The Seagull. Any stories about Natalie?

Morena Baccarin: We chatted some. She's a very, very nice, very smart girl. She's got a great heart. She's a foster mom for dogs before they get adopted, so sometimes I would baby-sit the dogs while she was onstage.

PB: Now that you're starring in a sci-fi show, have you talked to her about her role in Star Wars as Princess Amidala?

MB: I haven't. While we were doing The Seagull, I didn't anticipate that I'd be in space, too. I did talk to her about doing that and what it was like. She said it was very intense in terms of costumes and everything you have to wear. I can now understand, but I think mine are a little easier. They're very simple, but I get to wear the most exotic and interesting costumes I think.

PB: On Firefly, you play Inara, a "companion" or highly revered sex worker better compared to a courtesan than a call girl. On the show, companions are universally respected and they choose their partners. Is this an enlightened attitude of the future, do you think?

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